


i walked with you once upon a dream

by felicityollies



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Astral Projection, Dreams, F/M, Soulmates, Vigilantism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2018-10-20 04:00:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10654470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felicityollies/pseuds/felicityollies
Summary: Connected since their respective births, Oliver and Felicity were soulmates. What started off as a person that they dreamed of at night, a person they had never before met, turned into the greatest thing they could have imagined.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i decided to combine two ideas i had, two birds with one stone kind of thing.... i hope it makes sense. Also thank u my darling Anita (yellowflicker09011996) for the help ♥ 
> 
> inspired by [x](http://felicityollies.tumblr.com/post/158979482117/olicity-au-ghost-fox-the-woman-is-quick-shes) [x](http://felicityollies.tumblr.com/post/159079019352/ooooooooohhh-fantasies-fantasizing-oliver)

Felicity’s feet pounded against the metal of a fire escape as she ran. She panted, rounding a corner and pulling herself up higher onto the building. A pain in her side made her pause.

“Shit,” she placed her hand against the spot.

It was the muted feeling of hot steel was being dragged across her flesh. There was no wound under her dark purple leather. It wasn’t real. Or it wasn’t her pain; it was Oliver’s.

For a moment she was thrown off. He had been blocking her out, trying to keep her from feeling what he was going through, but that wasn’t helping anyone. If she couldn’t reach him then how did he expect her to find him. It was more than a little frustrating. All she wanted to do was bring him home and yet he was making it difficult.

“I’m coming for you, my love,” she breathed out the words, “I will never stop looking.”

She kept moving. There was no time to waste. Oliver had only been missing for over twenty three hours, but that was one day too many. He had been taken by a sick psychopath hell bent on revenge. Every second away from him made it hard to breathe. He was her everything. Just like she was to him.

She had to find her husband and soon; she didn’t care if she had to tear the entire city apart to do so.

* * *

Oliver let out a long hiss as Adrian’s heated blade sliced through his flesh. He shut his eyes trying to focus his energy on keeping up his walls; he knew that Felicity would try to reach out to him, but he didn’t want her to get hurt. If he let her, she would tear down the metal wall he placed between them.

But the longer Adrian continued to drag this on the harder it became to keep Felicity out. He wanted her to find him of course, but if she had to feel everything he did then maybe she should find him the hard way. What he was going through… it was deserved. The things he did to find himself here. He hadn’t been a good person. He didn’t know if he ever really was to begin with.

Adrian pulled the knife away and shook his head as he looked down at him. Oliver’s eyes wandered behind him towards the door of the cell.

Adrian scoffed in his face again, “You keep looking towards that door as if she’s going to walk right through.”

“She’s coming,” he rasped.

Adrian shook his head, “The ones that supposedly love you have given up on you. She’s never going to come for you. You’re just a waste of time.”

“You don’t know her like I do,” Oliver refused to give up the last scrap of hope he had.

Chase rolled his eyes, “Pitiful,” he looked away from Oliver.

He was probably trying to decide what horrible thing to do to him next. His gaze moved back towards the door and there she was. Standing there in the doorway, her form slightly transparent, but slowly becoming more solid. He accidentally let his guard down long enough for her to use their connection to find him.

Felicity moved towards him, walking right past Adrian, the other man didn’t even blink. Her hands went to his face, cupping him and kissing him sweetly. He could feel the warmth of her lips and the softness of her fingertips caressing his cheek.

“Why did you block me out?” she whispered, worriedly.

He didn’t answer, he didn’t need to. Her eyes moved over his body, taking in every little wound. The expression on her face a mixture of heartbreak and anger.

She sighed, “I’m going to get you out of here.”

Pulling away from him, she looked around for any sign of where he was, standing on tiptoe to look out a barred window. He watched her until Adrian decided his attention was needed.

“What are you looking at?” he hissed.

“Nothing,” Oliver muttered.

With that he received a punch to the mouth. His head whipped to the side. He saw Felicity touching her mouth, a cringe on her face, as he spit blood onto the floor.

“I’m going to find you,” she said.

She faded out of his view, but she was coming. Felicity was coming. His wife was going to find him.


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m so excited to present y’all with the first chapter....

It started when she was five. Felicity fell asleep one night and dreamed of a boy. He was older than her, but not by too much. The dream was a little fuzzy. She could see his shape and some details in his face. When she tried to reach for him he seemed to move further away. Even at such a young age it frustrated her.

She dreamed of him often. As time went on it seemed easier to reach him. She could get closer and see more details. He was blonde and had squishy cheeks. Felicity was so determined to see him completely. To meet him and say something to him. She thought it would only get easier, but her progress took a turn. Her movement seemed to slow, to drag on.

She realized that he wasn’t doing anything to try to reach her. If he wasn’t working just as hard to come to her then they weren’t going to make any progress at all. The thought made sense to her, anyway.

“Why don’t you come to me?” she shouted across a vast emptiness.

Nothing but soft white, almost wisps of air, surrounded them. Yet, he still felt so far away.

“You’re not even trying!” she stamped her foot.

He opened his mouth, but when he tried to speak it sounded like muffled nonsense. It was as if her ears were plugged.

Every morning she woke up, feeling irritated that she couldn’t reach him. She told her mother and father about the dreams once. Neither of them took her seriously. They were just dreams after all. Felicity was young, but she wasn’t stupid. There was something about these dreams that were different from others she had. Other dreams faded when she woke. She might remember them for few moments, but the details became fuzzy until she remembered nothing at all. He stayed with her. She could vividly see the blurred image of this boy and she craved to know more about him.

If only that boy would try harder.

* * *

Oliver thought it was strange when he began dreaming of a little girl. He was ten years old and he thought he should be dreaming about.. well anything other than a tiny girl. She was actually really small and had mousy brown hair. Every night she tried to call out to him, but he couldn’t hear anything she said.

He didn’t know if he should try to get closer or not. It wasn’t that he was afraid or anything. He wasn’t! Being scared of little girls would make him a baby and that was one thing he was not. Part of him wondered why the dreams of this girl seemed so different. There was nothing, but the two of them and he felt more in control. In his usual dreams they were just that… dreams, but whenever he saw her it felt more like he was awake. It was a lot for his ten year old brain to handle.

One night, several minutes after he’d fallen asleep, he found himself in the weird white space again. He sucked in a deep breath and started towards the girl. It was the first time that he was attempting this. He thought it would work, but it felt like he was moving so slowly. As if he were moving through molasses. 

Night after night he tried. She yelled at him, but when she did he started to notice that the words were getting clearer every couple of nights.

“You’re almost there!” she shouted, causing an echo.

He stopped for a moment. Her voice was finally clear. For someone so small, her voice was so loud.

“I can hear you!” he yelled back.

She excitedly replied, “I can hear you too!”

Their voices echoed through the empty space. Now if only he could see her clearly. She was still just a blurry form of a person in front of him. This girl might as well have been miles ahead of him. It really did seem like there was nothing but space between them. He was closer, but not by much.

“Who are you?” he called to her.

“Felicity!”

“Felicity,” he repeated to himself.

“Who are you?” she yelled back.

“Oliver!”

His eyes fluttered open and he was met with the morning sun. Sighing, he rolled back over and buried his face into his dinosaur covered pillow. He finally knew her name. Felicity. He still didn’t know if she was real. How could she be? It was a dream. Maybe she was an imaginary friend, but he was too old for that. At least he thought so.

He mentioned it to his mother once.

“I keep having dreams about a girl.”

“That’s nice, honey.”

“I think she’s real.”

Moira paused what she was doing, “It’s just a dream.”

“But,” he started to say.

“No, it’s just a dream, Oliver.”

After that, he decided to stop trying to interact with Felicity.

* * *

She thought they were making progress, but apparently she was wrong. He slipped back out of her reach. All she wanted to do was talk to him and see him, but for a reason she couldn’t understand he was making it even more difficult. She wasn’t the kind of person to let things go. Felicity was young and curious. She wanted real answers and she wasn’t getting one from Oliver.

There were still dreams about him, but she kept to herself. No shouting, no moving, she just stayed where she was, wondering what she did to make him stop trying altogether. Then slowly the dreams became fewer and farther between, until they stopped all together. Maybe Oliver had never been real in the first place. Just her vivid imagination conjuring up someone that she could have made a friend out of.

She didn’t need him anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> seriously, lemme know what you think. I’m so curious to know!
> 
> tumblr: felicityollies  
> twitter: gothlicitys


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> straight up if you have any questions just ask (:

It was two years later before he dreamed of her again. The entire day beforehand he felt a sadness deep in his chest. He wasn’t sure why. There was nothing for him to be sad about. He was having a good day with his mom, his little sister, and Tommy, who kept trying to teach Thea swear words. But still, his chest felt heavy and empty at the same time. It was a confusing feeling to have. When he went to bed that night a few tears slipped down his temples.

In his dream he found himself in that same empty space. It was just like it had been before. Something about it felt so familiar, like coming home after a long summer at camp. The sound of soft crying filled his ears, but he couldn’t see her at all this time. He had a vague feeling of someone being close by, though the sounds she was making were distant echoes.

“Why are you crying?” he asked, wiping his own cheeks.

She sniffled, “You’re here.”

“That’s why you’re crying?”

“No,” she snapped, “My dad left.”

“Where did he go?” he scratched his head.

“I don’t know,” she sobbed again.

“Why can’t I see you?” he asked, quieter this time.

She sniffled, “I don’t know that either,” she mumbled, “Maybe because I don’t want to be seen.” 

They were both quiet for a moment.

“Why did you go away?” she asked.

“I dunno,” he mumbled, feeling guilty, “How do I even know that you’re real?”

“I am real,” she sniffed, “You’re the one that could be imaginary.”

“Nuh uh!” he shouted.

Oliver shook his head. He was shouting at air. None of this made any sense, but somehow it still felt real. But how? It was a dream, just like his mother told him. Then why did he feel bad for giving up on talking to her? And why were they so sad at the same time? He couldn’t seem to connect all the dots. It was just… so much to try to understand.

“Maybe we’re both real,” he finally said.

“Yeah?” Felicity’s voice sounded closer now, “I think… I think you’re right.”

She slowly formed in front of him. The blurry image of a person he had seen before became clearer. Felicity was only a bit taller than before which meant she had gotten older too. Her hair was messy and curly, her face wet with tears, and her big blue eyes sad and puffy, hidden behind large glasses. She watched him, studying him in the same way he was doing to her.

Slowly, she moved forward and wrapped her arms around his middle. She barely came up to his chest. Hesitantly, he hugged her back. It felt as if he were wide awake, holding onto a real person. She was so small and warm. But more importantly she was there and she was real.

“I’m sorry your dad is a jerk,” he said softly.

* * *

During the day Felicity kept to herself. She went to school, didn’t talk to anyone, not that she really had before her dad left. When she was home, she worked on her computers. A lot of them she had taken from her dad’s collection. He left them behind and Donna had no problem with letting her have them. She pushed her feelings down, not wanting to deal with her own sadness. Her mother was having a hard enough time keeping it together as it was.

But when she dreamed of the wispy white space again, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. She felt so alone. And then Oliver came back. She had never expected for him to come back, but she was glad that he did. There was no way for her to explain what was going on with her dreams and this other person. It bothered her because she wanted a rational explanation, but she knew it wasn’t going to just come to her.

The whole thing was weird, dreaming about a boy that really existed. Someone she had never seen in real life. He gave her comfort she was seeking, showed her kindness, but it just made her want to meet him for real.

“Where are you from?” the seven year old asked.

“Starling,” he said.

They sat cross legged in front of each other.

“Where’s that?”

“Washington. What about you?”

She tilted her head a little, “Las Vegas, Nevada.”

“You’re far away,” Oliver tilted his head, mimicking her.

She giggled and scrunched up her nose. He returned her laugh. Oliver had the kindest smile and she thought that his eyes were a pretty blue. They were different than her own, more like a warm ocean than her cloudy sky blue. He still had squishy cheeks. She kind of wanted to poke them, especially when his dimples popped.

Without another thought, she leaned forward and poked his dimple.

“I like your cheeks,” she giggled.

The twelve year old raised his brows at her, “You’re weird,” he laughed.

She leaned back and shrugged, “Oh well,” the smile never left her face.

* * *

“The girl is real,” Oliver said, one morning at breakfast.

Moira nearly choked on her coffee, “What are you talking about?”

“Remember, that girl I was dreaming about, she’s real,” he said earnestly, “I can talk to her and see her. She even feels real.”

She shook her head, “It is just a dream.”

He frowned, “Why won’t you believe me?”

“It is a dream, Oliver,” she said even more sternly, “Dreams are composed of things from your subconscious. People you know and have met or passed at school or on the street. Maybe she is a real person, but it is still only a dream.”

He deflated in his seat as Raisa brought a well fed Thea to Moira.

“You are almost thirteen years old,” Moira sighed, “You need to stop holding on to these silly fantasies.”

“But it doesn’t feel like a dream, it feels like when I see her I’m wide awake,” he kept pushing, trying to get his mother to understand.

“Oliver Jonas.”

He cringed at the use of his middle name.

“If you say one more thing about this girl, you’re going straight to your room,” she rubbed Thea’s back to try to keep her from crying.

“Her name is Felicity and she’s a real person,” he pushed himself up from his seat and went to his room without her having to tell him twice.

He was so angry with her. All he wanted was for her to believe him, but she just wouldn’t. So what if he had to spend the Saturday in his room. He didn’t care. Oliver wiped his cheeks as he sat down on the bed. Stupid angry tears. He sniffled quietly, wishing that he was away from his mom and with someone that would believe him.

Closing his eyes tight, he lay back on his bed.

A loud yelp had his eyes shooting open again, “How did you get in my house!?” a familiar voice shouted.

He whipped his head to the side and saw a very freaked out Felicity on the floor. Glancing down, he saw that he was on her bed. He had only closed his eyes for a second. Hadn’t fallen asleep, that he was sure of. He couldn’t even begin to explain how he was a million miles away from home and on another person’s bed. It didn’t make any sense.

He felt panic rising in his chest, “I… I… I don’t know,” he scrambled up.

The door swung open and a blonde woman came rushing in. “Why are you screaming?” she asked worriedly.

“There’s a boy in my room,” Felicity gestured towards him.

He didn’t know what to do, he was so scared. But when the woman looked at him, it seemed like she was seeing right through him. She stepped closer and moved around the bed.

“Where?” she asked.

Felicity pointed at him again, “Right there, Mom!”

Oliver hesitantly reached out and touched her mother’s shoulder, but she didn’t notice him at all. She sighed heavily and shook her head before heading towards the door.

“Honey, you shouldn’t scream unless there’s something really wrong. Not imaginary friend related problems. You scared the life out of me,” she reached for the door handle, “I’m leaving soon, but your auntie Cherri is coming over to watch you.”

“Okay… sorry mom,” she mumbled.

He blinked a couple of times and moved to sit down next to her, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

His heart was still pounding wildly in his chest. This was becoming too much for him to handle. First the weird dreams and now somehow invisibly transporting to another place. He felt like he was in a strange old scifi movie. The ones he stayed up late to watch even though his mom said they were too scary for him. 

“It’s fine,” she reached for a tiny screwdriver and started to take apart an old computer, “Why are you here? It looks like you were crying.”

“I wasn’t,” he pouted, “And I don’t know. I really wanted to get away from my house and I just… ended up here.”

“Weird,” she sighed, reaching over to poke his arm.

“Ow,” he mumbled, rubbing the spot.

She frowned, “I didn’t hurt you.”

“Uh huh,” he continued to pout.

“Why did you want to get away?”

“My mom won’t believe me about you.”

She shrugged her shoulders, “Maybe we lost our marbles.”

“I don’t want to be crazy,” he watched her working on the computer.

“Too late,” she giggled.

Her giggle made him smile just a little. He didn’t know what brought him there or why her mother couldn’t see him, but he was really glad he was there. It was weird to have a friend a million miles away and so much younger than him, but he liked Felicity. She definitely didn’t make him feel crazy.

“Why aren’t you freaking out?” he asked.

“You scared me a little… but I don’t know… It’s weird that you’re here and my mom can’t see you, but….” she sighed heavily as if she were searching for words, “I don’t like things I can’t explain.”

“Does that mean you don’t like me?”

“No,” she mumbled, looking back to her computer, “That part confuses me more,” she frowned further making a crinkle between her brows, but then she got quieter, “You’re the only friend I have.”

“That’s sad.”

She made a hmph noise and went back to focusing on her computer.

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way, I meant… you should have friends.”

“People don’t like me,” she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

“Why?”

“Because I’m smarter than they are,” she said, but then added, “They think I’m weird.”

She was weird, but in a good way and seriously people shouldn’t be mean to her about it. He sighed heavily and slumped lower on the ground, lying on his stomach and resting his chin on his hands.

“I like being your friend,” he said quietly.

“Thanks.”

He closed his eyes again, listening to the sound of her fiddling around. When he opened his eyes again, he was looking at the ceiling of his room. He frowned and sat up, no Felicity, no pink bedspread, and computer parts everywhere. Maybe it had been just a dream, but every time they had seen each other in their dreams they had been in the white space. He groaned loudly, wishing someone would explain this to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think!
> 
> tumblr: felicityollies  
> twitter: gothlicitys


	4. Chapter Three

As he got older, Oliver found it stranger and more confusing that he and Felicity seemed to have this connection. They could dream of each other and have conversations as if they were standing in the same room. He could feel what she felt sometimes and she could do the same with him. Oliver had appeared to her once, but he’d never been able to do it again. He had tried on more than one occasion, but he couldn’t replicate the feeling of desperation, the need to get out of his home and get away.

At fourteen, he ignored his mother’s wishes and decided to search into these mysterious things. She still wouldn’t talk to him about the dreams, about anything, but he was determined. He sat at his computer, with his head leaning back, staring at the ceiling. All he wanted were some answers, but how did he go about finding them? He couldn’t very well Google search shared dreams. Or… that’s exactly what he should do.

He typed slowly and searched through the things that came up. Most of it was absolute garbage that didn’t make any sense, but then he came across something interesting, astral projection and out of body experiences. It all sounded so bizarre. Leaving his body, his soul travelling to other places while his body stayed put. Bizarre, but it also made sense to him. He finally had a name to put to what was happening.

“I have to tell Felicity,” he whispered, his body buzzing with excitement. He practically vibrated right out of his chair.

Oliver slid out of it and turned around to leave his room when he realized he wasn’t in his room anymore. He was standing in Felicity’s again. It had changed since the last time he had seen it. There were more computer pieces and other tech. The bed had galaxy sheets on it instead of fuzzy pink things, a pair of astronaut and career woman Barbie dolls sat on her desk, and the newest addition was a dog named Lucky. She told him about the little lab pup that had been peeing on all her things.

The dog seemed to notice him before Felicity did. He thought it was strange, but then again animals always seemed to notice ghosts and things in horror movies before everyone else. He walked away from Felicity, who had her nose buried in a text book, and sniffed at him. The puppy growled quietly.

“Shhh,” she hushed the dog.

“He’s a pretty good guard dog,” Oliver joked.

Felicity whipped her head up, “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I dunno,” he shrugged, “I got really excited about something and I wanted to tell you right now.”

She slammed her book shut, “What is it?”

“Well,” he started to say, but his voice cracked. Damn puberty.

She giggled a little and he glared.

He cleared his throat, “I think I figured out what’s going on.”

Her eyes went wide and she sat up all the way.

“Get out your computer,” he moved to sit down beside her on the floor.

Lucky followed him. The dog had stopped growling at least.

Felicity pulled out her laptop and booted it up. He leaned in closer to the nine year old so he could see her screen and then told her what to Google.

“Sounds weird,” she said as she typed.

He noted that she typed way faster than he did. She was quiet as she read and scrolled. He wondered if she was actually reading all of it, but he didn’t have to wait too long to have an answered.

“Interesting…. and plausible,” she said, clicking away to another page on the same subject, “It says you can learn how to control it, but what I want to know is… why us?”

He stared at her for a moment. She was so smart and a whole five years younger than him. He was a little jealous, but mostly astonished.

“I don’t know. I might ask my mom again, but every time I do she flips her lid,” he said, making sure not to swear in front of her.

“She knows something,” she said matter of factly.

He nodded, “Now how do I get back home.”

“Close your eyes and focus on where you were,” she said.

“Are you an expert now?”

“Just do it, Oliver.”

He glared at her again before shutting his eyes and letting out of slow breath. His thoughts travelled to his room. He pictured every tiny detail he could remember and when he opened his eyes he was there. Oliver wondered if he could do it again, so he tried to focus on Felicity’s room this time, but much to his annoyance he couldn’t get back.

“Guess I have to practice,” he muttered to himself.

Before his father got home, he went downstairs to find his mother. She sat with a four year old Thea and a cup of tea.

“Mom,” he said, “I want you to tell me about astral projection,” he stood in front of her, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

She let out a long sigh, “We’re not talking about this, Oliver.”

“Why?” he continued to push the subject.

“It’s dangerous,” she hissed, glancing around quickly.

Thea looked up at them curiously, but went back to drawing on some construction paper.

“It’s not,” he argued, “I want to know what you know. Stop hiding things from me.”

Moira looked to him again, “You’re only fourteen,” she muttered, setting her tea down, “I don’t have to tell you anything.”

He refused to back down, “I just want to know.”

She sighed heavily, “Sit down.”

He returned her sigh, but sat down beside her.

“Are you sure that is what the dreams are?” she asked.

“It’s more than that,” he dropped his voice lower, “I’ve been in her room. I’ve seen her… and she lives a million miles away.”

Moira swallowed thickly, “Your great grandparents could do what you can,” she said, wringing her hands together. “They had a deep connection. Something that was hard to explain to others, but they tried. My mother once described it as a bond of the souls. They met when they were young and instantly knew they were destined to be. It wasn’t just love at first sight it was something more. They were soulmates.”

His eyes went wide.

“They loved each other very much and had several children before they were discovered.”

“Discovered?”

“People who are different will eventually get noticed,” she said, “They had a friend… or someone that used to be a friend that sold them out to government. You see… the government takes an interest in peculiar things. They were taken from their family for extended periods of time. They were poked, prodded, and abused. My mother, their eldest child, spent most of her life taking care of her siblings because her parents were being treated as science experiments.”

Oliver listened in horror, “S-so there are more like us?”

“There were,” she said, “Not all of them had the same gift, but when two people can come together to create a powerful connection, whether that means astral projection or flight….”

“Flight,” he whispered.

“The government takes notice and tries to do what it can to use these people for their own gain. That is why I said it was dangerous. Soulmates have all but died off because of this.”

“Aren’t there some without powers?” he asked quietly, “Aren’t you and dad soulmates.”

She gave a sad smile, “Maybe you’re right,” she said, “Powerless soulmates could exist. Love is a strong thing on it’s own,” she wrapped an arm around him protectively, “That is why I’m worried about you. I don’t want you to become someone’s experiment. I love you so much.”

He hugged his mother tightly. Oliver couldn’t deny that he was scared. He didn’t want anything like that to happen to him or Felicity, but he didn’t know how to stop talking to her. There wasn’t a way to turn off the connection. Not that he knew of.

That night he sat at his desk again, slowly typing and searching for the things his mother talked about. All he could find were websites on conspiracy theories. Old photos of people being taken from their homes, descriptions of powers, and military operations that used these people. There was a section specifically on soulmates.

_Soulmates hold the strongest connection of these abnormal humans. Their powers are stronger together, but they can also be each other’s weakness. For example, it was shown that soulmates put into a combat situation became much weaker if one half of the pair was injured or killed. Some even died together. After several decades of studying the subjects and using them in various military situations, it was decided that there wasn’t much use for someone who could be weakened so easily. Abnormal humans with powers but no soulmates became the focus of most government programs from the sixties on out._

He blinked a couple of times and went in search of more on just soulmates. Website after website of romantic, gooey crap, but he was able to wade through it and find things worth looking into. He was right when he said he thought there were soulmates without powers. It was common belief that everyone had a soulmate, but there were few that had the gift, if you could really call it that, that he Felicity had. It could be argued that they were true soulmates. He could only assume that after everything that transpired, most people like him had gone into hiding. It was what his mother wanted him to do.

All of this was so weird and scary. Soulmates of all things. He didn’t know if he believed that part of it. First of all, he didn’t have any romantic feelings towards Felicity. That would be so gross. She was a little kid. He cared about her, liked her as a friend, and wanted to keep her safe, but that was it.

Instead of shutting down his computer right away, he decided to do something that he hadn’t thought of before. And honestly he wondered why he hadn’t. He typed in Felicity Smoak and Las Vegas into the search bar. It took him a little longer than he would care to admit, but he found their names on the white pages website. He found himself feeling relieved to see her name in black and white in front of him. It made it all that much more real. The only number listed was a home phone, which he thought was odd. Didn’t everyone have cell phones now?

It was kind of late, almost nine at night, but he thought it would be okay to make a call. He whipped out his cell phone and dialed the number. Taking a deep breath, he hoped that she was the one that picked up and not her mother.

“Hello?” Felicity’s quiet voice came through.

It was so strange to actually hear her through a phone and not… through astral projection, but he was happy.

“Felicity,” he said, excitedly, causing his voice to crack again.

He cleared his throat quietly.

“Oliver?” she perked up, “It’s so weird to hear you. What are you doing calling? Couldn’t you wait until you fell asleep?” she asked, but didn’t stop long enough to give him time to answer, “I probably shouldn’t be on the phone because my mom’s not here and this is a long distance call.”

“I’ll make it quick,” he said.

“Okay good, did you talk to your mom?”

“Yeah… she said…” he paused for a moment.

“What?”

“Uh… she said that she didn’t know anything and to stop being silly,” he lied.

“Oh,” he could hear Felicity’s pout.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, “We’ll figure it out.”

“I’m going to do more research and practice, but uh… I gotta go.”

“Okay, goodnight… I’ll see you soon and we can talk more.”

“Goodnight,” she hung up the phone.

He sighed down at his cell. Maybe he should have told her what his mom said, but he couldn’t bring himself to. She was so young and didn’t need to have the crap scared out of her. He was already freaking out enough for the both of them. This would keep her safe. Ignorance was bliss, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!   
> And if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask, I don't want any of this to be confusing!


	5. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh I should write ahead more often for times like these when I dont’ feel like writing.... but anyway I had so much fun working on this chapter oh my god, I hope you guys enjoy reading it. I will say that this chapter and the next feature Laurel, but very briefly. There are certain canon things that I wanted to put in this story and you will see that very soon.
> 
>  **warning** for mentions of pms/cramps and such

Felicity studied and practiced what she liked to call visiting as much as she could. She was better than Oliver by a mile, but she got the feeling that he never tried as hard. He was a teenage boy and sometimes it seemed that he had the attention span of a gnat. Oliver had years to change his mind and work hard on it, but he became more involved in sports in school and then girls. She rolled her eyes every time he talked about another girl with her. At least he was kind enough not to go into disgusting details.

Although, that didn’t stop her from accidentally popping in on him.

The thirteen year old sat on the edge of her bed, closing her eyes. She wanted to practice disconnecting her soul from her body, but she wasn’t sure if she could do it without going somewhere. There was only one way to find out. It was hard not to focus on Oliver when she was doing this because that’s what she always did. He popped into her head for one second and suddenly she was sitting on his bed. She picked a very bad moment to pop in on him. He was sucking the lips of a redhead that was most certainly not his girlfriend Laurel. Oliver was so startled he scrambled off the bed. The girl freaked out, wondering what she had done wrong. Felicity couldn’t stop herself from laughing as he tried to explain himself.

“I… uh… I just saw a bug behind you,” he tripped over his words.

“What?” she whipped her head around to look, but there was nothing on the wall, “If you didn’t want to makeout with me anymore you should have just said so,” she stormed out of the room.

“She’s overreacting,” Felicity said.

Oliver glared at her, “What are you doing here?” he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders, “I was practicing, but I didn’t mean to come here.”

“Right,” he grumbled, looking away from her.

“What? Like I meant to interrupt your cheating,” she snapped.

“You’re just a kid you don’t understand,” he shook his head.

But she did. Their connection had been growing stronger as they got older. She could feel what he was feeling. It thrummed through her, an overwhelming sense of fear.

“I understand perfectly fine. You have a nice girlfriend and instead of committing to her you’re fooling around. You’re scared because being with her means planning a future and you’re even more afraid of what the future holds,” she kept going, knowing exactly what he was feeling, what was going on in his head, “And you’re scared you might not love her as much as she loves you.”

“Stop,” he whispered.

“Then don’t tell me that i don’t understand,” she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

He sighed heavily, “Why do you do that?”

“I don’t mean to,” she said, “And I don’t know why you can’t do it as well.”

But maybe you aren’t even trying.

“Stop,” he said again.

“Stop what?”

“Stop being so sad,” he looked at her, “I only feel it when you’re sad.”

She turned her gaze away from him.

“What did I do now?”

“I think I have more in common with Laurel than I would like to,” she whispered.

Before he could say anything else, she disappeared back to her body. Felicity really felt that she put more effort into this connection than he did. She put more effort into their friendship and understanding him. The fact that she had formed a crush on him in the last year didn’t help anything. Stupid teenage hormones. Stupid Oliver with his stupid cute face. He was too old for her by a lot, but that didn’t stop her from liking him. At least he couldn’t feel it.

Felicity wanted to ignore him after that, but it was hard to do. She had been working on strengthening their bond, so she wasn’t able to cut off communication; she didn’t even know if it was possible.

“You’re still avoiding me,” he said one night.

“Why do you care? I’m just a kid remember,” she sneered.

He recoiled a little, “I was just mad… I didn’t mean it. You’re like… a thousand times smarter than everyone I know. You’re not just a little kid.”

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“And I’m sorry… that I don’t try as hard as you,” he said, “I do care about you… I’m just…”

“Scared,” she said, “Why are you scared of me?”

“I’m not…” he looked down.

She watched him and focused in on him, “You scared _for_ me…. why…”

He stayed quiet.

“Why?” she demanded.

“It’s nothing, I promise,” he said.

She sighed heavily, but she couldn’t push it further. Well, she could, but she didn’t think it would work. Oliver could be a stubborn butthead.

“Can I have a hug?” he asked.

“Fine,” she didn’t even hesitate.

He held his arms open for her and she threw hers around his middle. Oliver was so warm and he smelled like Axe body spray, but it was nice. She was so tiny compared to him, her nose barely hit his chest. Felicity’s brain was well developed, but the rest of her was a late bloomer. She hadn’t even it her growth spurt yet. He hugged her tightly for a couple moments.

“You know it’s kind of weird that my best friend is a thirteen year old girl,” he said.

“Hey!” she leaned back and smacked him in the arm.

He laughed.

“Just for that I’m going to stop helping you with your homework,” she crossed her arms and huffed, “You can fail.”

“Not fair,” he faked a pout.

“You have Tommy anyway,” she waved her hand dismissively.

He rolled his eyes, “He might be my other best friend, but he’s not as smart as you.”

She couldn’t help but grin at that.

Oliver told her he was going to try harder. He didn’t want her to feel like he didn’t care when he very much did. She also requested that he try harder with Laurel too. Even if the part of her that had a crush on him didn’t want him to. She knew it was silly to have a crush on him anyway. Too old for her and they didn’t even live in the same place. It probably didn’t help that he was her only friend, so maybe she should try interacting with the kids at school more.

If Oliver could try harder with her then she could try harder in other aspects of her life.

* * *

Oliver came home early from school. He couldn’t sit through his classes without moaning. His stomach hurt like nothing he had ever felt before. He honestly thought he might be dying, but he couldn’t figure out why. No one was home when he got there aside from the staff.

He lay his head down at the kitchen counter. His butt settled on a little stool that usually went at the breakfast bar.

“What is wrong?” Raisa asked.

“My stomach feels like it’s having a fist fight with my other organs and their fighting over which one gets to punch their way through my lower…..” he rubbed his abdomen as he searched for the word.

He’d had on and off backaches as well and he’d been irritable all day.

“Oliver!” Laurel came running in, “I heard from Tommy that you were sick and-”

“Go away, Laurel,” he muttered without lifting his head.

“But I just-”

“I want to be alone,” he snapped.

She startled and backed away from him. “Oh okay… I have uh… I have a law class to get to anyway,” she got quieter and turned to leave.

He watched her go before looking down at the counter. Oliver had no idea why he was so angry all of a sudden. Maybe it was the pain, but then why did he also suddenly feel like he was going to cry. He never cried. Crying was for babies.

“She’s going to hate me,” he whispered.

Raisa slowly slid him a bar of chocolate, “I would lie down for awhile if I were you,” she said.

He sniffled and nodded, taking the bar from her. Upstairs, he layed on his bed curled up in a ball, willing the pain to go away. He reached for his phone. Maybe Felicity would know what was happening. But when he texted her (she finally had a cell phone), she didn’t respond.

“She must be dying,” he whined, “That’s the only explanation.”

He closed his eyes and tried to focus through the pain. Like he promised Felicity almost a year ago, he had been opening himself up more to her. He was still scared of what could happen to them. Mostly to her. But maybe they would be okay.

Oliver opened his eyes. He was sitting in Felicity’s favorite chair. She was curled up in her own bed, looking like she was dead.

“Oh god, you are dying,” his lip trembled as he wrapped his arms around his stomach.

“I’m sleeping,” she muttered back to him.

“If you’re not dying then why am I dying?” he exclaimed.

“What?” she sat up and looked over at him.

“My stomach,” he whined.

“Oh god,” she slid out of bed and walked towards him.

“What!? What is it?!” he shouted.

“You’re having period cramps,” she laughed.

His eyes went wide, “You go through this every month,” he whispered.

“Yes,” she was still laughing at him.

“Why are you laughing!?” he screamed.

“Stop screaming,” she sat down on her bed.

“I am not screaming!” he wiped at his face and sniffled.

It was quiet for a few moments before he spoke again, “How can you sit here feeling this and not freaking out.”

“Because I can’t let it stop my day,” she said, “Well, I was taking a nap, but I still have stuff to do.”

“I would actually die if I had to go through his every month,” he mumbled.

“Which is why women have the babies and dudes do the hand holding,” she shook her head.

He grumbled and closed his eyes for a moment. Sometimes it was kind of weird how grown up she was becoming. He remembered the little seven year old that had been crying about her dad leaving. Now she was sitting there taller, more developed, and practically becoming an adult. Her hair was darker too, but that’s because she started coloring when she started high school. This little goth girl was sitting there schooling him on how women are so much stronger than men. He would never argue that again.

Oliver groaned in pain again, “When is this going to end?”

“Four days,” she said.

_“Four days?!”_

He looked to her again. She curled back up in her bed.

“I’m going back to my nap, but you can stay I guess,” she yawned as her head hit the pillow, “But I would suggest a nap for you too.”

He grumbled, “Fine, feel better.”

“You too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back with a short update.... enjoy (:

Oliver rest his head on his girlfriend’s lap. They had been on and off for the past several years. Somehow they kept coming back to each other. She loved him, but he wasn’t sure how he felt. He kept sleeping with other girls behind her back, even though Felicity asked him to be better. Oliver probably should have stopped, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to settle down. Didn’t want to be with one person. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking that way since the discovery of soulmates. It terrified him. The idea that he was supposed to be with this one person for the rest of his life. Someone that he didn’t even get to choose. He cared about Felicity of course; he loved her, but not in a romantic way.

Couldn’t he make his own decisions? He was currently studying business in, his fourth, college because his mom and dad wanted him to. Laurel was talking about them getting an apartment together, but he didn’t feel like he was getting a choice in that either. He wanted to make one decision on his own and that was all.

“We could get a nice two bedroom, for guests of course, and a little balcony,” Laurel mused.

“Uh huh,” he sighed and closed his eyes.

“You know I’m studying,” Felicity said.

He opened his eyes and looked up at her from where he lay on her bed. “Yeah,” he pouted, “But you don’t even need to study.”

“You’re just lucky Coop isn’t here,” she said, moving down to her bed.

“He can suck it,” he muttered.

“Hey, I have been supportive of your girlfriends,” she chided him.

He grumbled at her; he wasn’t even sure why he didn’t like Cooper, he just didn’t. The younger boy made his stomach knot up.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Laurel is talking about getting an apartment. I don’t want an apartment. Or balcony or a place for guests. Or the cat that she wants,” he groaned and rested his head on Felicity’s lap.

The seventeen year old sighed at him and brush his hair to the side, “You know you should break up with her.”

“Yeah,” he returned her sigh, “I don’t want to hurt her.”

“You’re hurting her by stringing her along.”

He groaned louder and smooshed his face into her thigh. It was still kind of weird to him that it felt like he was actually there with her. He could feel her and smell the vanilla perfume she wore.

“My dad is leaving on a business trip soon,” he said, “I think I'm gonna go with him.”

Felicity sighed at him, but continued to move her fingers through his hair, “You're running away.”

He stayed quiet for a few moments, “You know I'm not good at the whole school thing and…. this stuff with Laurel, I don't want to be here afterwards.”

“I don't think that's a good idea.”

“Why? It’s just a little trip on a boat, I’ll be back before you know it.”

She gave another sigh, “It doesn’t feel right.”

“It’ll be fine.”

Her hand stilled for just a moment, “If you say so.”

* * *

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said quietly.

Felicity crossed her arms, “I wanted to say goodbye.”

“Why, I’m just going to see you tonight,” he glanced around, making sure there wasn’t anyone listening.

“Your dad is on the boat and no one is around, stop doing that,” she muttered, changing the subject.

“You’re not the one standing on a dock talking to yourself,” he whispered.

She rolled her eyes, “You only have to worry when Laurel gets here.”

“I don’t want to do that anymore.”

“You have to do,” she stepped closer to him, “You can’t get on the boat with her thinking that you’re going to come back and get that apartment with her.”

He whined loudly.

“You’re such a child sometimes,” she sighed.

She didn’t get to say anything else because Laurel was coming towards him. For a second she thought about hiding behind him, but she knew that was stupid. Laurel couldn’t see her. Oliver put his hands up to stop her from leaping on him and kissing him. Thank god. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the other girl. She liked her a lot actually, but they didn’t need to be smooching if he was actually going to end their relationship.

“Laurel,” Oliver started slowly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think uh…. I think…” he looked at Felicity for half a second.

“We need to talk,” Felicity said.

He repeated her words.

‘I don’t want you to think I’m doing this to hurt you,” she continued, “I don’t think it’s fair to you that we continue this relationship.”

“You’re breaking up with me?” Laurel’s lip started to quiver, “What did I do?”

“It’s nothing that you did,” Felicity said, “I don’t want to be cliche, but it’s me, not you. I mean that honestly. You deserve more than what I can give you.”

Oliver continued to repeat every word that she said.

“What does that mean?” Laurel wiped at her face.

“It means we both want different things. I’m not ready for an apartment or any of the things that you want. It’s not fair to you to…. pretend that I do,” Felicity tried to find kind words, but it was hard. Oliver wasn’t doing a very nice thing to Laurel to begin with.

“Oh,” Laurel said quietly, “I wish you would have told me that sooner… a lot sooner,” she sniffed and wiped away her tears again.

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” Oliver whispered without any prompting from Felicity.

“If you didn’t want to hurt me, you wouldn’t have lied and pretended to want to be with me,” she turned away from him and started to run back to her car.

He sighed heavily, “Please don’t say I told you so,” he mumbled.

She could feel his regret and sadness, settling in her own chest, “I won’t,” she was quiet for a few moments before stepping closer to him. Her hand moved down to find his, interlacing their fingers gently, “It’ll be okay,” she said, “She just needs time.”

He pulled his hand away from hers, “Yeah, I guess.”

She sighed and glanced behind them to the boat. There was something about this trip that she didn’t like. It felt _off_ , but she couldn’t explain the feeling. She had a telepathic connection to Oliver for whatever reason, she could astral project to _him_ , but that didn’t mean she was psychic. No, it was just a bad feeling.

“If you’re going to tell me to stay, save it,” he muttered.

She frowned, turning back to him, “Why are you mad at me?”

“I’m not, I’m just….” he searched for the word.

“Frustrated,” she supplied.

“Yes,” he sighed, “I didn’t want to do that,” he gestured to where Laurel had gone off to, “There’s no way I can stay here now.”

“You needed to,” she said, “Did you really want to date her forever?”

“No,” he let out a puff of air, “But…. I think…. ugh!” he shouted, “I don’t know.”

“Oliver?” Robert stepped off the boat, “Are you okay, son?”

He pressed his lips together and nodded.

“Okay…” his father said warily, “We’re almost ready to go.”

“I’m going to go,” Felicity said quietly, “Your mom is coming.”

* * *

* * *

When Felicity went to bed that night, she didn’t see Oliver. If he wasn’t sleeping then obviously he wasn’t going to show up in her dreams, which left her having a regular dream. The image in her mind was that of the ocean, calm and serene. She could feel the wet and salty air against her face; she breathed it in and exhaled slowly. Her toes reached out to touch the cold water from where she sat on the beach.

The calm blue skies slowly blackened and the water’s gentle waves thrashed. They almost seemed angry. Water rose up higher and higher before slamming down onto her body. She was instantly drenched and freezing. The shock of it all stole the air right from her lungs. She scrambled to move, but the water came crashing down, pulling her into the sea.

“No!” she screamed, dragging her nails across the sand.

The water pulled her in. Down, down, down she went. Her lungs filled with water, choking and suffocating her.

Suddenly, she shot up in bed. Her body shivered as if she had actually been drenched in seawater. She gasped for breath that she couldn’t seem to catch. Felicity was drowning, but not in water; she was drowning in fear. It wrapped around her and suffocated her as much as the ocean did. This was too much for a dream. Too much for even a nightmare. It wasn’t her fear, but it was pushing her into her own panic attack. 

“Oliver,” she gasped, “Oh god… Oliver…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think!
> 
> find me on [tumblr](felicityollies.tumblr.com/) & [twitter](twitter.com/felicityollies)


	7. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so apparently i just had this sitting in my docs finished for like months. i went to check on it, but couldn’t think of anything to add to it?? i liked where it was at so here it is after almost a year,,,,

Oliver sat in an inflatable life raft. He was slung over the side, avoiding the sight of his father’s body. Everyone was dead, his dad and the crew, everyone except for him. Robert Queen had taken his own life right before Oliver’s eyes. It was an image he would never get out of his head. He’d been floating out there for God knows how long. His stomach yearned for food, but at the same time he was sure he was going to vomit at any moment.

“Oliver,” a soft voice said beside him.

He closed his eyes tightly and swallowed thickly, “You shouldn’t be here.”

“You know I can’t get hurt,” Felicity reached over and brushed her fingers through his dirty hair. He wanted to lean into her touch, but he stayed unmoving.

Guilt racked his body. He knew she could feel everything he’d been going through. She could feel every moment of panic and fear as if she were there with him.

“What happened?” she asked.

His eyes fluttered open, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at her, “He killed himself,” he mumbled.

She let out a shaky breath, “I’m sorry.”

He kept his eyes forward on the water, “Go back to school Felicity.”

“I got sent back to my dorm from class,” she stroked his hair again.

“Why?”

She was quiet.

“Why?” he pushed almost angrily.

“Because I had a panic attack in class.”

If it was possible he sunk lower into the black plastic. His eyes and his heart felt heavy. Oliver couldn’t sleep and he couldn’t stop the guilt that flooded his system.

“It’s not your fault,” she touched him again, but he didn’t react.

“How can you be so calm,” he sniffled, “How can you not be angry?”

She didn’t have an answer for him. Her form disappeared. He didn’t know what made her go away. Maybe she had woken up, if she had been sleeping. But she was better at _visiting_ than he was. She could have been wide awake. It was better this way. She needed to stay away from him. He knew it didn’t change anything. She would still feel everything, but maybe he didn’t want to be seen. Maybe he wanted to be alone.

Several more hours went by when an island came into view.

A little while longer and Oliver washed up on shore. He stumbled out of the raft; he could barely find his footing. Too many days trapped on that damned raft. He glanced back at it, birds were already swarming it.

“No!” he screamed, his voice hoarse.

He rushed the raft, tripping and falling against it. His head fell close to his father’s body. The rotting corpse he lay beside the entire time. His eyes had glazed over and his skin was discolored. The wound on the side of his head was visible, gaping and red. The smell was as bad as the sight. It was ingrained in his nostrils. The rotting stench of a corpse exposed to open sea. Oliver swallowed down bile.

He didn’t want the birds to bother the body, so he pulled it out of the raft. Stumbling backwards, the corpse fell against him. He coughed and gagged, but kept going, pulling him back onto the beach. Birds continued to come, but he batted them away.

He buried his father and promptly vomited the bile he had been holding in. Wiping his mouth, he stumbled further onto the shore until he was leaning against a tree.

“Oliver,” Felicity knelt beside him.

“Go away,” he mumbled.

“You don’t really want me to do that,” she whispered.

He swallowed thickly, tears burning in his eyes. What the hell was he supposed to say? His world was falling apart around him. His father was dead. He was on some island somewhere and he didn’t know what to do.

“Felicity,” his voice cracked.

She wrapped her arms around him and he buried his face in her stomach. Tears fell down his face and onto her. Darkness wrapped around them. The only light came from the stars and the moon. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. When he was young, not too many years ago, he’d been afraid of the dark. He couldn’t sleep in the pitch black. There was always a nagging fear at the back of his mind that something was waiting for him in the darkness. He swallowed thickly and clutched onto Felicity tighter.

“I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head, “Y-you said I shouldn’t go.”

“But I pushed you….”

He didn’t understand what she meant and didn’t get a chance to ask when he was struck in the shoulder with an arrow. A scream caught in his throat. Felicity’s gasp rang in his ears.

Why was this happening to him?


End file.
